Best Lawyer

Harry Schneider

Any attorney who is able to earn vindication for Osama bin Laden's former driver is a good man to have beside you in court. Harry Schneider, a partner at Perkins Coie of Seattle, didn't exactly get Salim Ahmed Hamdan a free pass—aided by fellow litigator Joe McMillan, Schneider talked a war-crimes panel of six U.S. military officers into a split verdict at Guantanamo Bay in 2008, clearing Hamdan of conspiracy charges but convicting him of supporting terrorism. But instead of a life sentence, Hamdan, who was paid $200 a month to chauffeur the world's most wanted man, wound up with a four-month term and a trip home to his native Yemen. Schneider took the case pro bono, saying he was compelled by a sense of duty and democracy. Hamdan even ended up aiding in the U.S. search for the al-Qaeda leader, which, as you may have heard, ended with a notable bang in May. RICK ANDERSON perkinscoie.com/hschneider